That's an awful lot of writing for a placeholder entry, Adam

[slipjig3]

I have no idea what to say.

There are certain protocols that go along with returning to blogging after an extended absence: the "yeah, it's been a while since I last posted" shrug, the catch-up details on what's been going on, the indication that regular posting will/may recommence. (Apologies for any of the above are optional. Unless you're me, in which case bring on the wailing performative regret!) I've done a thousand reboot posts like that, and I am sick unto death of writing them because I always do them wrong, with all my mea culpas for things that don't need mea culpa-ing and all my promises with no stiff cardboard backing. All I know is that I've been wanting to get myself moving again on journaling for months, but have had no gumption to do so. hypnagogie just started up again with daily morning entries after a very long absence, however, so I'm going to borrow a cup of gumption from her and see how this goes.

The lack of initiative has largely been because Life decided to shake stuff up like a souvenir snow globe: first, I moved to Brunswick, Maine to be with hypnagogie on shorter notice than expected, to an apartment with a purple front door and its own washer-dryer. The good news is that the apartment is amazing, Brunswick is amazing, my life up there is amazing, no regrets. The bad news is that Maria Kondo-ing and packing up my accumulated worldly possessions had to happen VERY VERY QUICKLY, as did getting Nik off to Job Corps in Vermont, so March and April were downright gonzo-pants. Well, that and the other bad news that I'm still working in Lexington and the powers that be have denied us the possibility of working from home, so I get to commute 2 1/2 to 3 hours each way, five days a week, complete with Boston-area I-95 traffic both coming and going. That level of nonexistent work/life balance doesn't leave much brain-space for ruminations on, like, coffee cups or season 2 of Fleabag. (OMG watch Fleabag seriously because I can't even with the thing it's SO GOOD.)

So yes, I want to write, and no, I have no idea what to write about. I'm trying to remember that back in the day, lack of content was hardly a hindrance—behold, World, my lunch choices! Are you not entertained?! How on earth did I do this several times a day? It probably has something to do with being in my 30s, and/or having nothing better to do. Whatever. My apartment has a purple front door, my job has good free coffee, Fleabag is available for streaming, the sky is up there, the earth is down there, ob-la-di, ob-la-da. Meet back here tomorrow? Same time, same place?

Comments

[brujah]

How on earth did I do this several times a day? It probably has something to do with being in my 30s, and/or having nothing better to do.

I get a little wistful riding the blogging way-back machine. There was such a strong sense of community throbbing through LJ, back then. Although I had a DW, even then, I never really used it because LJ was home. My friends were there. I had, within that community, people I trusted with real life issues I didn't have the balls to speak about to people in my meatspace.

I found the whole thing to be sort of freeing and I miss that, too.

Granted, I still babble inanely about nothing important because I DO want to write here, even when I have nothing to say. Even when all I want to do is whine, which lately, is just about all the damned time. :P

[slipjig3]

I miss the hell out of it, too, for much the same reasons. One of the things I struggled with when I first decided to dive back in was the question of whether I was trying to help create a community, or vainly trying to grasp at the community we had back then. I think I'm going with option C: None of the Above, and just see what happens.

Granted, I still babble inanely about nothing important because I DO want to write here, even when I have nothing to say. Even when all I want to do is whine, which lately, is just about all the damned time. :P

Without babbling and whining, LJ and indeed blogging itself wouldn't exist. I say bring it on.

[cypherindigo]

Well you could always try the "voice to text" thing during the drive and transferring the text to here when you get to where you are going.

HI. It is good to hear from you.

[slipjig3]

That is a fascinating idea. Although I suspect that at least a few entries would come out, "#%@$ DRIVERS! YOUR CAR HAS A GAS PEDAL! @^#%ING FIND IT!"

And hi! Good to hear from you, too!

[cypherindigo]

Or "!$@%^ I thought that model came with turn signals installed"

[noachoc]

I used to have an amazing apartment with a purple front door. It was wonderful. I hope yours is too.

[slipjig3]

I absolutely adore it. There will probably be an apartment post if gumption levels hold up.

[sandrylene]

Brunswick, huh? I don't even know where that is, but I'm glad you're enjoying it! Also, a purple front door sounds endlessly charming. :D

The commute, though... good heavens, that sounds like a horror show. I hope that's a temporary measure and that something changes for the better on that front. And that in the meanwhile you like podcasts or something because I can't imagine otherwise how you get through that much commute without starting to gnaw on things.

I sympathize with the LJ and community-type thoughts, and am also part of the problem in the "I might update twice a year, oooh" type set, and yet I also don't know how past me managed any more than present me. (I mean, I think part of the issue is that I thought twenty years ago that I was more interesting than I think I am now, so at this point I couldn't persuade myself to put much down on a regular basis because the back of my head is continually screaming "no one cares!" Probably not fair, because it's not what I'm thinking when I read other peoples' updates, but... *shrug*)

[slipjig3]

It's roughly 20-30 minutes past Portland, kind of middle-of-nowhere-ish. Yes, it's the Bad Far, but the only truly ugly part is the first/last 20 miles on the Boston end on I-95; once I'm clear of that, it's just driving, mostly traffic-free. I've got a stockpile of podcasts, music, and audiobooks, and only occasionally get to the place where I'm going stir-crazy in my own car.

And no, that's not what we're all thinking at all. I think what made LJ special in a way that most social media isn't is that you actually get a view of who this person is, not just what they do. The details, even the mundane ones—maybe even especially the mundane ones—aren't just space fillers, they're "come on in, sit down, let me make you some tea while I tell you about my day." The flip side of that is that maintaining this requires more of an investment of self as well as time, and it's more of a blow if there are few or no responses, and of course those responses require more of an investment, too (a pox upon the Like Buttons of the world!). What I'm sayin' is, let the trivialities fly! It's all part of the community building.

[azurelunatic]

Washer and dryer are very important.

[slipjig3]

And how. Even the best laundromat is still a damn laundromat, and still requires one to, like, put on pants and leave the house. *shudder*